In the Flow: Letting Go and Enjoying the Ride

“In the Flow” (16″ x 20″) – $1,111

What if we could stop fighting the current and discover the joy of going with it?

My newest painting, In the Flow, is how I envision myself riding the waves of life, with long flowing skirts, wavy hair (just like I had when I was 25!), and a big YES to the ride.

She’s the same woman who appears, in one form or another, in many of my paintings, including The Joy Drum, Into the Hands of Peace, and Held in the Ray of the Masters.

Someone once asked me why I paint so many women. My answer? Because I am one.

These women are aspects of me, emerging from somewhere I can’t always explain or fully understand. And because they’re aspects of me, they’re also aspects of the shared human experience—parts of ourselves we might recognize, even if we’ve never met.

With In the Flow, I’m exploring what it feels like to stop struggling against the current and let myself be carried, trusting that I can enjoy the ride without knowing exactly where it’s taking me.

Abraham-Hicks often speak about how everything you want is downstream. Rather than fighting the current, we can release resistance and allow ourselves to move in the direction of what feels good, opening to possibilities we might not have seen while struggling to control the journey.

The more we resist what is, the more we suffer.

This doesn’t mean we have to like everything that happens or stop taking action where action is needed. It means we can soften our struggle against what we cannot control and discover that peace and joy are still available, even in the midst of uncertainty.

I’m discovering new layers of this in my own life.

As I await a surgery date for further testing to determine whether melanoma has spread, painting is helping me process things in ways I hadn’t anticipated. Visions emerge that feel like answers to prayers, revealing new perspectives and reminding me of inner resources I can draw upon. The creative process is keeping me connected to my joy and focused on peace, even when I don’t know what lies ahead.

I’ve learned a lot in my 60 years, but even with all that life experience, I need reminders sometimes. I’m especially grateful that, this time, so many have come through the painting process itself.

This painting also brings to mind a passage from Ananda’s Festival of Light, written by Swami Kriyananda. A little bird struggles against the wind and rain of a storm until the wind invites it to surrender and offers to lend its strength. When the bird finally lets go of the struggle, it soars joyfully above the clouds.

Later, when darkness falls, the bird must surrender again, trusting that peace awaits in the unknown and that its strength will be renewed. Through these experiences, the bird begins to discover that its strength was never its own alone, but came from a deeper Source within.

I love this reminder that surrender isn’t giving up; it’s releasing our resistance and allowing ourselves to be supported by a strength greater than our own. We still take the steps that are ours to take, but we don’t have to struggle against every current or navigate every unknown through our own efforts alone. When we allow it, Divine support can meet us in unexpected ways and help carry us forward.

And sometimes, surrender looks like painting a woman with wild, flowing hair, throwing her arms and legs into the air, and imagining the sheer delight of being carried along!

I don’t know exactly where the current is taking me. But I’m learning that I can meet the unknown with curiosity, keep taking the steps that are mine to take, and leave room for grace, inspiration, and unexpected joy.

That’s what In the Flow means to me.

Want to explore In the Flow further? Watch the video below to hear me share more about the painting and what inspired it, or visit the painting’s sales page for more details.

May we remember that we don’t have to fight every wave. We can find our footing, soften our grip, welcome the help that’s available, and sometimes simply let ourselves enjoy the ride.

What might become possible if you stopped resisting the current and allowed yourself to flow?